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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22903489">Shatterpoint: Inferno</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterXAssassin/pseuds/WinterXAssassin'>WinterXAssassin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Halo (Video Games) &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Aliens, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Brother-Sister Relationships, Family, Family Bonding, Feels, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Memory Loss, Military, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Female/Female Relationships, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, References to Drugs, Science Fiction, Sister-Sister Relationship, Team Feels, Team as Family, Trauma, Whump, but that's my usual take SO, really this takes canon and cracks it in two, sibling dynamics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:15:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,299</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22903489</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterXAssassin/pseuds/WinterXAssassin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Artemis-B312, Talia-B271, Jeanette-B315, Corey-067.</p><p>Spartans. Warriors. Family.</p><p>Brought together in more... unusual circumstances, these Spartans strengthen their tentative bonds, forming a team like no other. Together, they wreak havoc across the galaxy, protect humanity, and slowly but surely begin to heal.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Artemis-B312 &amp; Corey-067, Artemis-B312 &amp; Jeanette-B315, Artemis-B312 &amp; Talia-B271, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Talia-B271 &amp; Corey-067, Talia-B271 &amp; Jeanette-B315, past Artemis-B312/Carter-A259, there's a lot of sibling dynamics here, well i mean it's referenced so there</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shatterpoint: Inferno</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, I'm back.</p><p>What started off as a drabble that was meant to go nowhere, and a handful of discussions on discord.... I'm starting yet another AU. This one should be interesting; set post-Reach, in the years before Halo 4.</p><p>Artemis goes MIA on a solo mission in 2554, dropping completely off the grid. Her family find her two years later, beaten, scarred, and tormented, but alive. This fic details her rescue, and everything that follows, shenanigans and all.</p><p>Chapter title, <em>Vihar</em>, means <em>tempest</em> in Hungarian (thanks google translate)<br/>Translation for Talia's Spanish: <em>I'm a little busy right now!</em></p><p>The three OCs I'm writing are <em>not</em> mine; they belong to some of my closest friends:<br/><a href="https://pantheris.tumblr.com">Jeanette-B315 belongs to Panth</a><br/><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntsySerpentine">Talia-B271 belongs to Sam</a><br/><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aliit_Netra/pseuds/Corey-067">Corey-067 belongs to Corey</a></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was going to die here.</p><p>Alone. Unwanted. Abandoned.</p><p>Time and again, she had insisted that her family were coming for her. But they'd laughed at her, mocked her, told her that nobody would save her. For so long, she'd held out hope.</p><p>Only yesterday, that hope had finally died.</p><p>The warship suddenly <em>lurched</em>, and she scrabbled for purchase upon something, anything. But there was nothing but the hexagon-patterned floor, and the bench which was too far away for her to reach. She slid, sideways, only stopping when she bumped into a wall.</p><p>She tried not to look at the trail of blood she'd made across the floor.</p><p>Gasping in pain, she screwed her eyes shut, pressing a hand against her abdomen. She was going to die here, alone.</p><p>Somewhere up the hallway, thumps echoed, followed by the distant screaming of an Elite in pain. The sound was cut off abruptly. Shortly after was the chatter of gunfire... human weaponry, not the discharge of plasma. Something was happening.</p><p>The warship rocked again, but thankfully, not enough for her to go sliding across the floor a second time.</p><p>
  <em>Humans, here? A group of UNSC soldiers, looking to board and destroy a Covenant cruiser? Or perhaps they're going to capture it.</em>
</p><p>The lights flickered and died. When the backup generators kicked in, everything was left coloured in a dull, eerie glow. Ominous, and menacing. When she looked down the hallway, all she could see were shadows.... and large shapes, moving through the shadows. Hunting, searching.</p><p>Was this the boarding party? Or was it her captors, looking to ensure their prize was secure?</p><p>She closed her eyes, and waited.</p><p>“I found her!” A voice cut through the darkness, lacking the warbling growl of a Sangheili speaking English. Distinctly male, and very much human.</p><p>“Is she alive?” A second voice accompanied the first, also human, but this time, female. Footsteps thudded, drawing closer, and she opened her eyes again. Two figures stood before her, both armoured from head-to-toe, both as tall as her Sangheili captors. </p><p>They weren’t... they couldn’t be Sangheili. They had no mandibles, and their helmets were... their helmets were not Ranger helmets. That meant that they were something else...</p><p><em>Spartans</em>, her mind whispered.</p><p>“Keep watch,” the female barked, without waiting for a response from her companion, “I’m going to break her out of here.” There was an undercurrent of anger to her voice, white hot and sharp.</p><p><em>Like an Energy Sword running across bare skin</em>. The memory rose to the surface, unbidden, and she tried to keep from screaming or throwing up. Even now, the scent of cauterized flesh filled her nostrils, acrid and damning.</p><p>“I’ve got you.” The voice crooned to her, and strong hands lifted her up, holding her, supporting her. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now.” The woman walked with her, an arm around her waist, taking her out of that cell and all of the memories that went with it. “Corey! We’re home free.”</p><p>“Not just yet.” the man, Corey, answered, frustration seeping into his tone. She could see him just up ahead, flickering in and out of view, and it took her a minute to realize that he was <em>fighting</em>. A bellow rose up from the din, coming from him. The shock of the noise sent her staggering back, pulling away from the female Spartan, crashing into the wall and sliding down, down, down to the floor.</p><p>“Monsters!” she cried, despairingly, voice bouncing through the hallway. “Get away from me. You are no saviours.... you are... you are <em>monsters</em>.”</p><p>“Talia, I could use an assist!” Corey grunted, boots shuffling, thumping. A second roar was heard, and this one was decidedly Jiralhanae in origin. “Chieftains, three of them.”</p><p>Talia, dropped to her knees, reaching for the prone figure on the floor, movements slow and gentle. “Estoy un poco ocupada en este momento.” she called back, arms wrapping around the prisoner. “Come here. I’ve got you, you’re safe. It’s just Corey. He won’t hurt you, and neither will I.”</p><p>“I’ll handle this.” A third voice, also female, floating from the opposite end of the hall. A third figure, smaller, more lithe, but no less deadly. There was a burst of speed, and then she was gone, joining the fight in the semi-darkness... where freedom lay.</p><p>And in just a few moments, it was over. The Jiralhanae had been permanently silenced, and now only the prisoner and her rescuers remained. The warship shuddered around them, clearly their own work, and she knew that they were here for her. They’d hunted their way throughout the bowels of the battlecruiser, seeking her out. Wanting to... what? Save her? Imprison her? Interrogate her?</p><p><em>Enough</em>. Dark tendrils leeched into her mind. <em>Do not let them take you. Do not listen to them</em>.</p><p>She wasn’t having any of it. Talia, Corey, the other Spartan... They were monsters. She couldn’t trust them; couldn’t trust <em>anyone</em>.</p><p>Drawing on her final reserves of strength, she pushed herself to her feet, shoving Talia aside. With a low snarl from the back of her throat, she rushed forwards. She had to fight, she had to run, she had to do <em>something</em>. Anything, to get herself away from these new threats. Ignoring the burning of her muscles, ignoring the searing pain in her abdomen, she launched herself at the two Spartans, further down the hall.</p><p>...Only to be checked midair by something hard and metal. Arms closed around her, stopping her struggle before it even began, and all of the energy drained out of her in one rush. She felt weak, exhausted, her world greying at the edges.</p><p>“Easy, easy.” Corey’s voice, distantly above her, was warm and calm, keeping her focus in the present, preventing her mind from wandering. And his sturdy, armour-clad frame was the only thing that was keeping her upright, keeping her from collapsing into a heap. His hands settled onto her shoulders, and she stared up, up, up into a visor that revealed nothing of his features. “Steady, Artemis.”</p><p>The battlecruiser shuddered, and she stumbled, losing her balance. She pitched forward, into Corey’s chestplate, and everything around her went black.</p>
<hr/><p>Her head <em>ached</em>. Her abdomen throbbed.</p><p>But, as she came to, she realized that the ugly, alien hum of the battlecruiser’s engines was gone. The sound existed now only in her memories. Instead, it was replaced by a soft, almost inaudible whisper. A vibration, barely there, but all around her nonetheless. It sounded familiar, human.</p><p>She blinked, her world coming back into focus, and she saw a Spartan sitting, watching her carefully. There was something... something about the woman’s face, something she couldn’t quite place. It reminded her of someone.</p><p>“Kat?” she croaked, the name wanting to stick in her throat.</p><p>The woman rose to her feet, smiling sadly and shaking her head. “Non,” she offered apologetically, “I am Jeanette. Do you remember me?”</p><p>
  <em>Jeanette. Quick and small, lithe and agile, fierce and sneaky. Bright, ice blue eyes. Mousy brown hair. Pointed, pixie-like features. A sharp, keen air hanging about her.</em>
</p><p>Something wasn’t right. <em>This</em> Jeanette had hair that was royal purple.</p><p>“Your... your hair is wrong.” she said slowly, the words heavy on her tongue. “It does not match the image within my mind.”</p><p>“I dyed it.” Jeanette perched on the edge of the bed. “It is better this way; it suits me.”</p><p>She has always preferred the colour purple. And it goes well with her eyes.</p><p>She wanted to say <em>yes, it does</em>, but the words never came. All she could do was stare up at Jeanette, memories and thoughts blending together in a jumbled mess. Her voice had, apparently, failed her. As it had done so many times before. As it had done when she wanted to fight against her captors, to push back. As it had when she had wanted to scream, to cry, to snarl. Her throat had simply locked up, and she spoke no more. There was nothing that she could ever do about it; it came back of its own accord.</p><p>Jeanette was silent for a long time, before questioning, “Do you know your name?”</p><p>Her mind stalled, drawing a blank. Name. What was her name?</p><p>A memory suddenly surfaced, sharp and biting. Others quickly followed in its wake. They left her hissing between her teeth, wanting it to go <em>away</em>, wanting the pain to stop.</p><p>“The... man,” her eyebrows furrowed in consternation, “The- Corey. He said... he called me Artemis. But I don’t know who that is.”</p><p>“It’s your name. It’s who you are.” That was not Jeanette that had spoken. How had she not noticed the door swishing open, and Corey himself entering the room? Had she not been paying attention? Or was it that something was wrong with her hearing? So much had been done to her. She did not know what was right and what was wrong.</p><p>“How is she?” His next words were directed at Jeanette.</p><p>“She is stable.” Jeanette rose from the bed.  “As for her mind, I cannot say. She appears to have difficulty recalling simple bits of information. I have reason to believe they tampered with her memories. Either that, or she was in there for so long that everything has blurred together, and her mind has simply shattered.” She shrugged, and looked helpless. “I must go, plot a course to Venezia; one that cannot be tracked.” The Spartan slipped out of the room, and this time, the prisoner <em>did</em> notice the door opening and closing.</p><p>She stared at Corey. Corey stared at her. Neither one moved.</p><p>But she <em>did</em> break the silence.</p><p>“You are here, and the other woman, Jeanette, has just left. But where is Talia?” she demanded. Always with the unknowns. Always with never knowing who was where at any given time. She was sick of it. She wanted to know the <em>truth</em>.</p><p>“Interrogating the Shipmaster who held you captive.” Corey settled himself into the chair that Jeanette had occupied previously. He shifted, leaning forwards, and continued to meet her gaze steadily. Unwavering, unflinching. He was like a rock in the middle of a river torrent. The river roared, rushed around him, but he never moved. “You’ve been missing for two years. The UNSC marked you MIA, presuming you to have perished on Reach. But some of us knew better; some of us held out hope that you were still alive, somewhere. We never found a body, after all. Spartans don’t just <em>vanish</em>, not when their last known location was planetside.”</p><p>She’d been on the surface of a planet? More than that, was the fact that she’d been on solid ground <em>two years ago</em>. </p><p>
  <em>What happened to me? Why did it take so long for me to be found?</em>
</p><p>She had not realized that she’d asked those questions aloud, rather than just within her own head. That was, not until Corey’s eyes flashed with regret, with guilt.</p><p>“The Covenant took you prisoner. The Shipmaster must have wanted answers out of you. What we don’t understand is why he never killed you, why he left you alive.” He looked... upset. “I myself nearly gave up trying. If it weren’t for Talia’s resolve, I would have resumed my duties, believing that you’d been killed in action.”</p><p>
  <em>He blames himself for something he almost did. He was afraid that he’d left you behind, abandoned you to a fate worse than death.</em>
</p><p><em>He </em>did<em> abandon you</em>, another voice whispered, accusing, <em>All of them did. They left you to </em>die<em>. Just as the Shipmaster and his men said. Left you to rot, alone, locked away on the brig of a Covenant battlecruiser. Doomed to be forgotten.</em></p><p><em>No!</em> A third voice in her mind screamed. Her vision blurred; she saw spots dancing before her eyes. <em>None of them abandoned you. The UNSC did, yes. But not the Spartans. Not your </em>family<em>. They would never leave you behind. It is evident that your condition is crushing them. You can see the weight of their failures on their shoulders. They want to atone for what they have done. You cannot fault them for that. They had no clue you were gone; you were out there on your own. You were deployed solo; no contact operation. They could not have known.</em></p><p>The voices meshed together, shouting. Drowning out everything else. Her worldview dimmed.</p><p>“Please!” she bit out, gasping for breath. It hurt. Everything <em>hurt</em>. “Please, make it s-stop.”</p><p>There was a flurry of movement, and something warm pressed against either side of her face. Belatedly, she realized that Corey was gently holding her face, concern flickering in his eyes.</p><p>“What is it? What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I can’t—” She was too weak. The darkness pushed at her, crowding her, taking hold. “I’m not... strong enough...” Her abdomen throbbed, burned. She felt like she couldn’t get enough air to breathe.</p><p>“Hey. <em>Hey</em>. Stay with me.”</p><p>Corey’s expression flickered out of view, and the darkness consumed her.</p>
<hr/><p>“Nnnh...”</p><p>The lights above her head were dimmer, the bed beneath her softer.</p><p>That was her first observation, as she came to for the second time. She pushed herself to sit upright, using her elbows, and scanned her surroundings. Someone had moved her from the medbay to a bunk room. Maybe she’d stabilized enough, or maybe, someone wanted her to be comfortable.</p><p>It was... a thoughtful gesture.</p><p>As her eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness of the room, she saw she was not alone. There were three other beds, three other occupants. Talia was curled up on her flank, watching or reading something on a datapad. Jeanette was sharpening a combat knife, legs dangling to the floor. And Corey sat in the middle of the last bed, back braced against the wall, observing.</p><p>They were all here, with her. Why? Were they worried that she was going to black out again? Or was it something deeper, something more related to... to...</p><p>
  <em>Family. They are here because they are family. And family sticks together.</em>
</p><p>“She’s awake.” Corey remarked to the others. Jeanette acknowledged his words with a silent nod, but did not stray her eyes from her task. Talia, on the other hand, set her datapad aside and shifted to give herself better line of sight to the prisoner’s... to Artemis’ bed.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” She didn’t approach, Artemis noted, which was different to how she’d acted before. Was she afraid? It was difficult to gauge.</p><p>“I am... Exhausted. It seems that passing out twice has not negated my urge to sleep.” Artemis frowned. “Not by much.” Words were easier, now, but they still had yet to flow as smoothly as they once had. She felt mechanical, robotic. <em>Inhuman</em>. “Strangely enough, I find myself yearning for physical contact. Everything feels wrong, and different, and I don’t know who to trust, but I... I long to curl up beside someone and <em>sleep</em>.”</p><p>Her turbulent mind felt calmer, for once. Perhaps, if she rested now, it would be more beneficial to both mind and body. Perhaps she would be able to <em>heal</em>. She did not know if it were possible, did not even hope. But she felt as though it would please the others. And that was... important, for reasons that currently eluded her.</p><p>She licked her lips and ducked her head, curling her fingers against the material of the black bodysuit she still wore. It was stupid to ask of things. She couldn’t help herself, however. She <em>wanted</em>, damn it, even though it was selfish, and felt <em>wrong</em> to want. And yet, Spartans were all about their bonds, weren’t they? They were all about their own gestures, their own ways of expressing different emotions.</p><p>...Artemis wanted to <em>thank</em> these Spartans by curling up with them.</p><p>“I am calling an emergency cuddle pile.” Talia declared firmly, sliding down to the floor in the centre of the room. “There will be no arguments.”</p><p>Jeanette simply smirked and shook her head, no hesitation as she lay down beside the bigger Spartan. She gestured at Artemis, who stared at her, wondering if she’d made the right choice. But... Talia had said no arguments, and Talia looked like she would get upset if someone disagreed. So Artemis obeyed, burrowing into Talia’s side, draping her legs across Jeanette.</p><p>Only Corey dithered, eyebrows drawing together. He seemed to be weighing a decision in his mind, before he eventually sighed and shrugged a shoulder. “If this is a one time thing.”</p><p>“It can be.” Talia responded. “I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable. Right now, though, Artemis needs this. We <em>all</em> need this, whether we are going to admit it or not.” Her hand ran through Artemis’ hair, and she found her taut muscles began to relax.</p><p>The presence of having the three Spartans so close, where she could reach out and touch them... It was comforting, to Artemis. Grounding her into the here and now.</p><p><em>I want this. And I am allowed to want. Nobody will take anything from me, ever again. I will fight until my last breath if </em>anyone<em> tries such a thing.</em></p><p>Still...</p><p>
  <em>You are conflicted. You yearn to be close to them, to have a family again. But after Reach... After Noble Team... After the horrors you endured at the hands of those alien monsters... You find it hard to trust. You find yourself torn in two. It is only through these Spartans, that you will be able to rebalance yourself, to heal. All you need to do is allow it to happen.</em>
</p><p>A still, calm air resounded throughout the room.</p><p>At last, it was quiet, save for the hum of their ship’s engines, and for the quiet whistling coming from Corey. An ancient melody, familiar and soothing. Something that.... <em>belonged</em>, something that was for Spartans, and Spartans alone. It felt like...</p><p><em>Home</em>.</p><p>Artemis finally drifted off to sleep, for the first time in, perhaps, three months. She was safe, and she was free. Nothing would take that from her.</p>
<hr/><p>When she dreams, she sees her family.</p><p>Not those who were with her now, but those who came before. The ones with whom she forged a bond in fire. The ones she'd loved, and lost.</p><p>Kat. Jorge. Carter. Emile. Jun.</p><p>All but Jun had perished on Reach. All but Jun and Kat gave their lives for the Covenant. Jun was out there, somewhere, still fighting the good fight. But Kat... Kat had been shot down, as the remains of the team had fled into a bunker... evading the Covenant glassing New Alexandria to ashes around them.</p><p>Her brothers, her sisters, her lover. Dead or gone. Beyond her grasp.</p><p>She could not forget the mark they'd left on her life, the impact they'd made. The way they'd saved her from herself, without even realizing they'd done so.</p><p>And now more of her family had saved her life. This time, it was from the same monsters that had burned her home.</p><p>What was the universe trying to tell her?</p><p>That she was so weak, she would always need saving?</p><p>Or was it because she was so selfless, always giving her heart to others, that her friends and family would always have her back?</p><p>She didn't know. Couldn't wrap her head around it.</p><p><em>Let go,</em> the voices of her old family whispered, <em>Allow your past to shape you, but do not let it define who you are. Only </em>you<em> can decide that.</em></p><p>The dream faded.</p><p>When Artemis blinked back to reality, back to awareness, just for a moment, she saw that her family had not moved. None had gotten up and left in the middle of the night. They'd all stayed; for <em>her</em>, and for each other.</p><p>Corey. Jeanette. Talia.</p><p>
  <em>They are your home now.</em>
</p><p>Artemis drifted off to sleep once again, her heart filled with love, gratitude, and understanding.</p>
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